Empathy Belly

We had our second Bradley class on Monday. This week the Dads got to try on an Empathy Belly. Ruggs had never tried one on before I think he now has a new understanding of what I'm carrying around!

First, Debbie (the instructor) wraps their deflated ribs so it's harder to breathe.

She makes sure it's on there pretty tight!

Then, a couple of the other Dads help put the belly on. It weighs 40 lbs so it takes two! There's even a bean bag to push on the bladder.

Can't breath, have to pee and carrying around an extra 40 lbs. Sounds about right!

The instructor had him sit down on the couch.

And she had him lay down.

Ruggs decided he needed some extra support under his new belly!

 She had us stand belly to belly. :)

I had my 30 week check-up on Wednesday. I've been sick again with a chest/head cold. After a round of antibiotics over the weekend I'm slowly starting to feel better again. Dr Huynh recommended lots of rest! She said pregnant women have lower immune systems so our bodies don't attack our babies so we sick easier. She said next month I'll be getting a flu shot! Otherwise, everything is going well with baby J.T. He's turned head down, had a heart rate of 141bpm and we're measuring 31cm.

I've also started to get the top part (from my chest to the top of my belly button) of the linea nigra.It's faint, you can't really even see it in pictures, but it's there. My belly button is also getting very close to being stretched to the max!

Shaping Up

We went to our first Bradley Method class on Monday evening. Thankfully, it was pretty much what Ruggs and I both expected! There are only 5 couples (including us) total, so we have a small class and get lots of attention from the instructor. The instructor is experienced and down to earth and we both like her. Most of the other couples in the class are about my age (or younger) and are due sometime between Sept - Nov. It's fun to be around other pregnant women and see how their belles compare to mine!

The instructor, Debbie, did some introductions and then passed around a few rubber baby replicas from different weeks in pregnancy. She had 7, 15, 20, 28 and 40 week replicas. It was amazing to hold the 28 week replica (big enough for both hands) and see/feel how substantial baby J.T. is! I reminded myself that he is even a week bigger than the doll. It was pretty neat!

Debbie then showed us some exercises we are to do daily for the remainder of our pregnancy:

• Tailor sitting (or sitting cross legged) for 20 minutes
• Squatting for up to 2 minutes a few times a day
• Pelvic Rocking (on all fours or standing) 10x
• Hula 10x (I was doing it well so got to demonstrate for the class - kind of embarrassing!)
• (Coach Assisted) Butterfly 10x
• Kegels (start small and work our way up)
• Side Relaxation (with massage!) She showed the Coaches (or Dads) how to massage the moms. She demonstrated on me and she knew exactly where to go! She obviously knows her stuff!

We were both very active in the class and had a pretty good night. We are looking forward to next week! 10 more weeks of classes and pregnancy doesn't seem like enough time, but it's shaping up to be a very informative and exciting 10 weeks.

I also attended my first Prenatal Aqua Aerobics class on Tuesday morning at the local Rec Center. I was unaware of how out of shape I am until I'd been swimming for about 20 minutes! I should have been doing this all along! I thought this would be an easy class to alleviate some back pain, but it really worked my arms and abs. It's a smaller class as well and the warm water feels amazing even if it is a little work. I'm excited about this new class too and am committing to Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9-10am until baby comes.

Hopefully between my daily exercises, weekly Bradley classes and Aqua Aerobics classes I'll be in better shape and Dad and I will be better prepared for the big day!

Weeks 29-32 (Month 7): Squash

Baby’s energy is surging, thanks to the formation of white fat deposits beneath the skin. (Have those kicks and jabs to the ribs tipped you off yet?) Baby is also settling into sleep and waking cycles, though -- as you’ve also probably noticed -- they don’t necessarily coincide with your own. Also this month, all five senses are finally functional, and the brain and nervous system are going through major developments. 

Little Ninja

We're in the 28th week and starting the 7th month. I know I say this every blog, but time is flying by! He's about 2.5 lbs and about 16 " from head to toe. He has little eyelashes and blinks. He's also a very active little boy lately!

Syd & Jud have each felt the little guy kick! He gave Sydney a few big kicks. She was surprised and excited to feel how strong he was. Baby J.T. wasn't cooperating quite as nice for Jud, but he did get to feel some movement. J.T. has a tendency to do that with Dad too. Recently, I was taking a bath and he was moving around so much I could see my stomach rolling. Of course when I tried to show Ruggs he stopped. Twice. It's a game of cat and mouse! I get to experience him all the time but showing him off to others doesn't work as well. I'm sure it'll be that way after he's born too. He'll likely do something really cute and then when I try to show someone else and he won't do it. That's one of the the joys of parenthood I guess!?

He did give Dr. Huynh a couple of big kicks while she was trying to listen to his heartbeat today with the doppler. In fact, he directly kicked the doppler! He's like a little ninja in there lately! He's moving around pretty consistently and getting stronger each week. Everything looks good (heartbeat at 137 bmp and measuring 29 cm). I have to start going in for check ups every 2 weeks now instead of every 4. Its routine, but she starts to monitor things more closely since we're getting closer to the due date.

We start our Bradley classes next Monday. I'm pretty excited to get prepared for the big day. It seems like a daunting task not knowing what to expect so I'm hoping that I will feel more confident between the classes and a tour of the hospital (we won't schedule the tour for a few more weeks). I tell myself it's a natural process and women have been doing it for 1000s of years. It makes me feel a little better even though the closer we get the less confident I feel. I'll be sure to let you all know how our first Bradley class goes next Monday. It'll be a new (and hopefully fun) experience for us both!

Can you pass the ice cream? Wait, I mean I'll pass on the ice cream...

I can't believe we're 26 1/2 weeks! It's been amazing and now baby JT is starting to kick around like crazy! Lately, at about 11:30 at night (right about the time I'm trying to sleep), he starts to kick. Not just little flutters - it's like he's having his own dance party! If I'm awake I will play with him. I will lightly tickle my side and then lay my hand down and wait. Then, he'll kick kick kick! And we'll do it again. When Ruggs is awake he also feels and plays with him. It's a nice way to connect with baby Joseph even though he's still in utero.

Here's a belly pic. Yes, I'm wearing a swimsuit. Yes, it's bikini. Not sure I look "good" in it, but at least it tans in my belly a little!

Last week my Dr. asked me to have a routine glucose test to check for anemia and diabetes. So, Friday morning I drank the little orange drink, had a couple of eggs and went in for the blood draw. Sadly, there was a break down of communication and I ended up having them draw blood about 15 minutes early (which at the time I didn't think would make a difference). Tuesday, the nurse called and said that my results came back (my glucose was at 141 and my Dr. wanted to see it at 130) and I needed to come back in and have 3 hour Glucose test.

Worried, I went in yesterday morning for the test. (I was truly worried! I had even skipped my nightly ice cream until I could make sure everything was ok.) It was a very long morning! I arrived there at 8:15am. They did a blood draw to make sure it was safe for me to drink the stronger glucose drink. It was ok and I finally got to drink the orange drink about 9am. You have to drink it within 5 minutes. Yuk! The drink itself isn't so bad, but not eating AND drinking it was awful! It made me nauseous and I had to lay down for the last half hour of the first hour. Then, every hour after I finished drinking it we had to draw blood. So after 4 hours and being poked 4 times we finally left a little after noon.

The nurse called today and YAY! Everything is ok! Phew! Now where's that ice cream sandwich....

100 Days til Baby

With exactly 100 days until our due date we thought it might be nice to get Dad's POV too...

Well, here we are, 25 weeks. So far so good. I’ve weathered the 1st and 2nd trimesters, like a champ. My right shoulder and knee are still giving me problems, but since neither of those have anything to do with the actual pregnancy, I guess that’s kind of a moot point.

Let’s run down the checklist:

• The furniture is bought and assembled. Which was ridiculous, btw. Very pretty stuff, but far too many things to assemble.
   - “I’m a Doctor, Jim, not a carpenter!”
• The registries are finalized.
• The birthing classes are scheduled.
• The tower has now put us in a holding pattern… so here we sit and spin.

The good thing is - I think we’re pretty well prepared at this point. (I’m kind of an old dog at this, so the tricks have been learned.)
The bad thing is - There’s nothing to do except sit around and watch OUR bellies grow!

… and I do mean OUR. Both dad and mom are pushing maximum density. Maybe it’s the 36 pack of ice cream treats from Costco in the freezer. Maybe it’s the 9:30 popcorn munchies. Maybe it’s the fact that chips and salsa taste really great in the second trimester. I guess we’ll never know, but we’re having fun along the way. You see, pregnancy has eliminated a lot of exercise, travel, etc that Leslie may have been doing during this time, but I’m still lifting twice a week, playing softball once a week and trying to sneak in some tennis during a lunch break (or two.) One might think I would actually lose a pound or two with a regiment like this, but, no, to the contrary I am the heaviest I’ve ever been in my life. I am claiming “sympathy weight.” End of story.

Since this is my first shot at this blog, I suppose I can set the sarcasm aside for just a moment…

I was able to feel the little guy kick the other day and I’ve started talking to him more and more. I know he’s excited about coming out and playing with his dad, because he kicks his mom everytime I’m around. I am very excited about becoming a father again, and I can’t wait for Oct to come so we can usher JT into our family! Now that we’ve decided on a name and his bedding, I think I’ve officially covered my consulting service obligations. Now, I’m just looking forward to holding my little man for the first time!

T-minus 100 days. Wish us luck!

Love to all!

Ruggs

P.S. Leslie is a champion pregnant lady! This has truly been a breeze and a pleasure. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers!

24 Weeks and Counting

Today, our little guy is 24 weeks and 3 days or about 5 1/2 months. We have about 16 weeks until the due date! He's growing and moving around several times a day. The schedule I thought he was on no longer exists, though I'm not surprised!

He's starting to gain about a 1/2 lb per week, but right now he's about a foot long and 1.25 lbs! He's practicing breathing by inhaling up to a liter of amniotic fluid per day with his developing lungs. The fluid is also starting to increase in volume and by the end of the pregnancy there will be 2 pints surrounding him. Because the growing baby is getting plumper, he no longer has room in my tummy to do cartwheels and somersaults.

My belly is growing so rapidly I've been taking pictures every couple of weeks. I try not weigh myself except a couple of times a month. I've only gained about 15 lbs to this point, which I feel like is pretty good considering all the sweets I crave!

We've decided on a name and I don't think we need to keep it a secret. We've decided to use our Father's middle names so he is Joseph Tennyson Kochevar. He may be called Joe, Joey, JT, Ten or Tenny. We'll see when we meet him what we end up calling him. :)

We're also pretty much registered for the baby shower. It took a lot of work! Our nursery now awaits all of his cute little stuff!

We also decided on a theme for his room! It took a lot of deciding, but Ruggs picked out something cute!

Next week I have another check up with Dr Huynh. I expect it to be fairly unexciting so I'm hoping it'll give me a chance to talk with the Dr. about some of the (normal) issues I've been having with my feet and back.

Get Your Kicks

I've been updating the baby blog weekly, but since our fruit has changed to monthly I may only update monthly or when something exciting happens - we'll see how it goes. At this point, there's not a lot changing externally except that my belly is growing bigger and bigger.

Since last Thursday, I've been feeling the baby kick a few times a day, but it's sporadic and no one else has had a chance to feel it. I know Ruggs is excited to feel him and it's disappointing when the baby won't cooperate. [He's already calling him a mama's boy. :)] I know soon enough it'll happen, but for now it's just me getting the surprise kicks and jabs. He's on a pretty regular schedule too, which surprises me. He's moving around at about 8:30am, Noon, 3:00pm, 6:00pm and 9:30pm. He'll wiggle around for about 15 mins - 1/2 hour and then he's still again for a few hours. He's most active when I'm quiet and still… or maybe I can just feel him more?

Now that we know he's a boy I've started registering for stuff at both Target and Babies R Us. I think I may have had an easier task to pick stuff out for a girl, but with Ruggs' help, we're making it through. We have plenty of time since I can't imagine we'll be having a baby shower until August or September. I'm thankful to our family and friends who have been so supportive and helpful to us. Loaning us baby cloths/items, helping us buy things he'll need and other supportive gestures really makes this a happy time!

We're also talking about names. We have a couple of names picked out, but we're having a hard time deciding. Again it's good we still have plenty of time! So for now, I'm just trying to enjoy our summer and daydream about next summer when I have a little 8 month old boy to take swimming!

Your Baby: Month 5  - Papaya

Watch what you say -- baby is now able to hear outside noise from down in the womb. Studies show that baby finds gentle music and your own voice most soothing. Nipples are starting to sprout, and that little face is fully formed. And, baby's starting to settle into sleep cycles, snoozing about 12 to 14 hours a day. It shouldn't be hard to figure out when -- just pay attention to those kicks as they start and stop.